Who are the 'grandpa robbers' charged with stealing over $6 million in jewels from Kim Kardashian in 2016, in one of the biggest heists?

Nearly nine years after Kim Kardashian was robbed at gunpoint in a Paris hotel, the men accused of the dramatic heist, known as the "grandpa robbers", are finally on trial.

The elderly gang stunned the world by committing one of the most high-profile celebrity thefts in recent history.

Kim Kardashian was tied up and robbed at gunpoint in Paris in 2016, losing more than $6 million in jewellery.

Why are they called the 'grandpa robbers'?

The French media dubbed them the "grandpa robbers" because the majority of them were born in the 1950s.

Ten men are now on trial in France, many of whom are in their 60s and 70s. The case has shocked the public and revealed significant flaws in celebrity security.

Who is Aomar Aït Khedache, also known as 'Old Omar'?

A retired restaurant owner who is accused of organising an armed robbery of American reality TV star Kim Kardashian in Paris has admitted to a court that his desire for quick cash was one of his motivating factors, as per a report by The Guardian.

The 68-year-old "Old Omar," Aomar Aït Khedache, has acknowledged to police that he participated in the 2016 Paris Fashion Week robbery in which Kardashian was bound and held captive at gunpoint in her hotel room.

However, he has refuted the prosecution's claim that he was the mastermind or organiser of the jewel heist that took place early on October 3, 2016, the largest individual robbery to occur in France in 20 years.

How did the gang pull off the heist?

Kim Kardashian was held at gunpoint by grandpa robbers, who were unaware of her identity.

The robbers, who pretended to be police officers, made off with an estimated $10 million (£7.5 million) worth of jewellery, including an engagement ring worth an estimated $4 million that was given to Kardashian by her ex-husband, rapper Kanye West, and featured an 18.88-carat diamond, as per a report by the BBC.

Who are the men currently on trial?

Nearly nine years will have passed since the heist by the time the trial begins.

Aomar Aït Khedache is one of five men over 60 who allegedly rode or walked to Kardashian's hotel in Paris for the hold-up.

Ten defendants, ranging in age from 35 to 78, are on trial for their alleged involvement in the Kardashian heist. Eight deny any involvement. Six of those are accused of being accessories to the crime, and five are accused of participating in the heist.

Harminy, the oldest son of Aït Khedache, is one of the defendants and is accused of being a getaway driver. A former Uber driver, Harminy Aït Khedache, has denied any involvement in the robbery.

Yunice Abbas, the burglar, went home the morning after the heist to get some rest. The 62-year-old had a history of criminal activity ranging from minor infractions to bank robberies.

He later wrote in a memoir that the Kardashian robbery would be his final job before retiring.

Who has confessed, and who hasn’t?

Only Yunice Abbas and Aomar Ait Khedache, a 68-year-old man, have confessed, while others still haven’t.

One has since died, and the other, who is 81 years old, will be excused due to advanced dementia.

What went wrong for the robbers?

The heist was doomed from the beginning due to a number of mistakes, and Abbas and a number of his suspected co-conspirators were arrested in early 2017, three months after the robbery.

The 2016 Kim Kardashian heist in Paris was a tangled and disorganised plan, and both the gang and the burglars made serious errors.

The gang's safety was jeopardised, and they failed to consider the fact that police methods have advanced to the point where they can now detect even minute traces of DNA. The gang assumed that no one would be able to identify them, so they dressed up as police, as per a repory by the BBC.

How did police manage to track them down?

In 2016, when terrorist attacks were still raging in Paris, CCTV cameras were installed, enabling police to identify the robbers and watch them take the jewels.

How did the robbery affect Kim Kardashian?

This incident took a toll on Kim Kardashian. Traumatised, she took a break from social media and enhanced her security. She subsequently stated that the robbery made her re-evaluate her perception of fame and materialism.

The impending court case, which is to take several weeks, is the first time she'll see her alleged attackers since the attack. The trial might finally close the book on one of the most insane celebrity robberies of the decade.

In the criminal trial for her 2016 robbery during Paris Fashion Week, Kim Kardashian is scheduled to testify today.

Kardashian was accompanied by her mother, Kris Jenner, her lawyer, and five bodyguards when she arrived at the Palais de Justice wearing a black suit and what looked to be diamond jewellery. She will soon be asked questions regarding the events of the evening of October 2, 2016, as per a report by The Washington Post.

FAQs

Who are the 'Grandpa Robbers'?
They are a group of primarily elderly French thieves accused of robbing Kim Kardashian in Paris in 2016.

What exactly did they steal from Kim Kardashian?
Her jewellery is worth more than $6 million, including a $4 million engagement ring from Kanye West.